If They Come for Us

Fatimah Asghar, co-creator of the Emmy-nominated web series Brown Girls, beautifully writes and delivers narrative poems about what it means to be a Pakistani, a Muslim, and a woman in America. In a voice that is steady and piercing, she pushes boundaries with her words of longing for maternal comforts and discomforts. She is unafraid to speak of cultural atrocities. Her voice is a declaration for her people that moves beyond the labels. In her final poem, she encapsulates her spoken-word stories: "These are my people & I find them on the street & shadow, through any wild all wild, my people my people, a dance of strangers in my blood." She creates a commanding presence through a lyrical cadence filled with vivid descriptions and unassailable strength. T.E.C. � AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine